Register that Roomba

If you are dork enough and hate cleaning enough to have bought a Roomba, here’s a deal for you. If you fill out the online warranty registration they will mail you a toolkit for cleaning it. If you are already registered, you’ll get the toolkit anyway, no need to do something different. It’s got a little razor for cutting off the hair, a brush and a hook to help get the tough-to-remove wire guards off. They don’t say, but I presume, there is also the screwdriver necessary to get the brushes out in the first place. This is all well and good, but I wonder why they don’t just charge $5 more for the robot and put this in the box with it. It would make life easier for us all.

I found out about this from the Roomba mailing list which is a fantastic resource. It is moderated by the head of iRobot customer service (who just took over from the director of usability who remains as a member) so you get actual good answers to questions. In fact, this is one of the best mailing list resources for a commercial retail product I’ve ever seen. Highly recommended if you own, plan to own or even want to own a Roomba.